Analysis & Commentary - The Long War Journal

Several reports in the last few days suggest that the Islamic State is now recruiting in southern Afghanistan, the spiritual heart of the Taliban and the site of fierce combat between U.S. troops and insurgents in recent years. At the center of it: a former Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee who led a Taliban unit before the U.S. sent forces into the country in 2001. more...

The terrorist attacks in Paris were nightmarish in many ways, but perhaps the most worrisome news to come out of the Charlie Hebdo affair is that followers of a “pure” al Qaeda affiliate – al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula – and of ISIS – the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – worked together. more...

French authorities said Monday that as many as six members of a terrorist sleeper cell involved in last week’s attack on a satirical magazine in Paris may still be at large, as U.S. officials investigated the actual role played by al Qaeda’s main affiliate in the Middle East. more...

A newly released video shows Amedy Coulibaly, who killed a French policewoman and attacked a kosher market in Paris, swearing allegiance to the Islamic State. Coulibaly says he worked in concert with the Kouachi brothers, who attacked Charlie Hebdo's offices and claimed allegiance to al Qaeda. more...

One of the brothers responsible for the attack on Charlie Hebdo claimed to have met with Anwar al Awlaki. The other may have met with Awlaki as well. Meanwhile, another terrorist responsible for the siege of a kosher market claimed he was a member of the Islamic State. more...

Cherif Kouachi was known to French authorities as a recruiter, a middleman, a guy who had conflicted feelings about joining the fight alongside Islamist militants in Iraq. What appeared Wednesday was very different. more...

Where the al Qaeda of Osama bin Laden’s leadership flew an airplane into the Pentagon in a meticulously prepared operation, the tip of today’s global jihadi spear is increasingly pointed at exploiting such “soft targets” as shopping malls, sporting events, tourist attractions and, in the case of this week’s horror in Paris, the office of a satirical news magazine. more...

Cherif Kouachi, one of the alleged suspects in the shooting massacre of 10 journalists at a French satirical weekly in Paris, was a would-be foreign fighter long before the phrase became popular due to the Islamic State’s recruitment of foot soldiers from all over the world. more...

The black-clad gunmen who stormed the Paris offices of a satirical magazine known for lampooning Islam displayed proficiency in weapons handling, suggesting they had received military training, say security experts. more...

Two of the suspects are brothers who recently returned from Syria. One of the brothers was previously convicted and sentenced to prison in France for recruiting jihadists to fight for al Qaeda in Iraq. more...

It is too early to tell who was responsible for today's attack on Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine. Al Qaeda and other jihadists have repeatedly threatened the publication. By itself, however, this does not mean they were responsible. more...